


Twice Loved, Once Forgotten

by GoofyGomez



Series: Clouis/Louisentine OneShots [20]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 11:18:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16809571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoofyGomez/pseuds/GoofyGomez
Summary: A walker attack goes awry, causing Clem to contemplate her past.





	1. Part 1

“What do you mean you don’t like the Beatles?”

Louis stared dumbfounded at Clementine, leaning against a tree. His favorite weapon, ‘Chairles’, was propped up against the trunk. Clementine stood a few feet ahead of him, checking the rope of yet another trap.

“I was never a fan of them,” she admitted with a shrug. “They were overrated if you ask me.”

“I cannot believe I’m hearing this,” Louis exclaimed, crossing his arms. “Remind me again why we’re together?”

Clem turned around, grinning at her boyfriend. “Cause you love me to death and back?” she suggested, winking.

Huffing, Louis looked down and shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re beautiful,” he said, stepping to the side and inspecting another sprung trap. One of the nooses had caught a walker overnight, and he had had the pleasure to take it down. Sighing, he redid the knot like Aasim had taught him all those years ago. _How did Aasim get out of hunting duty today?_ he thought ruefully.

“Hey, I think there was another rabbit caught on that trap by the trail,” he informed her, gesturing to the other side of the clearing. They heard birds chirping above them as if mocking them for having tedious work to do.

“Yeah, I see it,” she agreed, nodding. “I’ll go check it out and we can get out of here.”

“Well, we can always stay a little while longer,” he suggested, shooting her a fleeting grin.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she teased, crossing her arms and bounding off to her task, leaving Louis to wonder. He finished the knot, carefully placing the noose on the ground. _It wouldn’t do to set it off accidentally_. Satisfied with his job, Louis stood up and grabbed ‘Chairles’, swinging it over his shoulder. He could hear the soft groans of walkers in the distance, and he shook his head.

“Time to go, I guess,” he muttered to himself, walking in Clem’s direction.

Before he could take two steps, however, he heard his girlfriend yelp. Louis broke into a sprint, his chair leg gripped tightly in both hands. When he got to the edge of the clearing, he saw Clementine struggling with a rather robust looking walker. Stepping back, she lost her footing on a fallen branch and fell backward. Louis rushed to her side, aggressively swinging his weapon at the walker’s head and hearing the satisfying crunch of its skull breaking.

He kneeled beside her, grunting with the effort of pulling the corpse away from Clementine. As it rolled off of her, he realized that she’d stayed still. Concerned, he looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow. Louis’s eyes went wide as he slipped one hand behind her head and lifted her up.

“Clem?” he mumbled, his eyes searching her features for any reaction, though none was forthcoming.

As he sat her up, he felt something wet on his left hand. Carefully, he set her down and looked at it. Blood stained his fingers, and his eyes watered. His lower lip quivering, he lifted Clementine off the ground. “Please don’t do this to me, Clementine,” he mumbled, trotting off toward the north; toward the school. “Don’t do this…”

-

She woke up on a bed, her head spinning. Clementine could hear the voices before her eyes completely responded. They were muffled and sounded anxious. _Where am I?_ she thought groggily, willing her eyelids to open. Attempting to lift her body, she groaned in pain, which got the attention of the voices to her left. They went silent, and she mumbled,

“Wh – Where am I?”

Her eyes opened slightly, making her cringe when a light was shone into them. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds and then had the strength to fully open them. She was in a dorm room. A redheaded girl kneeled beside her bed, a concerned expression on her features. Her piercing blue eyes scanned Clementine’s face.

“Hey Clem,” the girl said, smiling slightly. _How does she know my name?_ Clementine thought with a frown.

“Good to have you back,” a blonde girl said from the redhead’s side. She had straight shoulder-length blonde hair and deep gray eyes.

“I’m – I don’t…” Clementine stuttered, looking back and forth between the redhead and the blonde.

A third person walked into her field of view. This time it was a man. He had dreadlocks filling every part of his head, and he wore a coat over a lime green shirt. His cheeks were freckled and his eyes were a deep chocolate brown. She blinked a few times when their eyes met, all thought momentarily leaving her mind.

“Hey, Clem,” he croaked, a big smile replacing his frown. He sounded like he hadn’t spoken in a long time, deciding just now to use his voice to greet the girl.

“How – How do you know my name?” she stammered, frowning. The man chuckled and glanced sideways at the other women. He looked back at her.

“Nice one,” he complimented, sitting on the edge of her bed. She eyed his movements carefully, wary of his confident approach. “I thought I was the joker here.”

“No, really,” she assured him, her brows knitting in confusion. “I don’t know who you are.”

Immediately following her statement, Louis’s face fell. His eyes misted over as the girl he loved stared at him with indifference. He slowly stood up, inching away from her and turning. He buried his face in his hands, closing his eyes. “What happened?” he whispered to Ruby, who was standing beside him.

“It seems she has some sort of amnesia,” she explained softly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll have to ask her some questions to see the extent of it.”

Louis nodded, leaning against the desk. Violet switched places with Ruby and while the redhead kneeled beside Clem, she sat beside her friend. “Hey, at least she’s okay.”

“Yeah, I guess,” conceded Louis, looking down at his feet. “It’s just unfair. I was gonna…” he trailed off, shoving his hands in his pockets. Violet decided not to push further, instead choosing to gently lean against him, like she did when her friend was upset.

“Hello Clem,” they heard Ruby begin, offering the woman on the bed a warm smile. “Do you know me?” she asked gently.

Clementine studied the redhead’s features carefully, frowning when no thought came to mind. “Um, no. Sorry,” she muttered, looking down at her hands.

“That’s okay, sug. Name’s Ruby, by the way,” Ruby informed her, lifting her hand slowly and placing it against Clementine’s forehead. The woman flinched slightly, but relaxed when Ruby smiled once more.

Ruby stood up, turning to face Louis and Violet. The moonlight seeping through the window cast an eerie shadow on her face. A few candles had been lit on the dresser, and their flicker on Ruby’s face made her seem older than she was.

“Vi, could you bring AJ in now?” she requested. The blonde nodded silently and left the room, Louis watching her exit. His eyes drifted to Clementine, who was fidgeting with her hands, a troubled expression on her face. At the mention of AJ, however, her head perked up.

“AJ’s here?” she exclaimed, sitting up straight.

Louis allowed himself to hope for a moment. If she still remembered AJ, it was still possible she would remember him, right? He stepped forward, smiling at the girl. “He’s been anxious to see you,” he told her.

Clementine beamed at him, thankful for the information. He didn’t dare press on, lest she became annoyed with his presence, and leaned back on the desk. Soon after, they heard the door click open and a blur of movement rush toward Clem. AJ wrapped his arms around her tightly, tiny sobs escaping the ten-year-old.

“You’re okay!” he exclaimed into her shirt. The woman smiled, returning the gesture as best she could.

“Of course I am, kiddo,” she replied, her voice muffled by AJ’s shirt. She pulled away slowly, smiling at the boy in her arms and lifting her eyes. Amber eyes met brown ones, and Louis smiled weakly at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” she said, cocking her head to the side.

Though AJ looked at her in confusion, Louis sighed dejectedly. “I’m Louis,” he informed her, nodding slightly.

“Clementine,” she replied, smiling. “Would you guys mind giving AJ and me a minute?” she asked, groaning when she sat up too fast and got dizzy.

“Of course,” Ruby said, ushering Louis out of the room with her. Once outside, Louis stared at the door dumbfounded. Violet stood beside him, frowning.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he assured him, to which he sighed once more. _How could it ever be okay?_

“Alright,” Ruby announced, clapping her hands. “Call for a meeting, I need to talk to all y’all.” With that, she bounded off down the hallway, a troubled expression on her face.

Ten minutes later, the entire group convened in the courtyard, Ruby sitting at the head. Aasim, Tenn and Willy all looked at each other in confusion, awaiting Ruby’s verdict. Omar was a few yards away, stirring the rabbit stew for the night gently. Ruby cleared her throat, and everyone looked at her in anticipation.

“Alright. I just came from checking on Clementine,” she began, looking down at the table. “Her head seems to be fine, which is good. But the problem is her brain.”

“What is it?” Aasim blurted, a frown passing through his features.

“She’s got long term memory loss,” she disclosed.

There were gasps all around the table, even from Violet herself. After the commotion was settled, Tenn leaned in and looked at Ruby. “How bad is it?”

“Well, she remembers AJ,” she informed them, to general relief. “But the rest of us are complete strangers to her. Right now, the best we can do is to make the transition easy for her.”

“I read about amnesia a couple years ago,” Aasim put in, smiling at Ruby. “It said that the best treatment was just reinserting the patient into their environment, but we have to let her remember us on her own.”

“What do you mean?” Louis asked, intrigued.

“Well, we can tell her that we’re her friends, and share stories with her. But she has to remember us all by herself,” Aasim explained. “Also, I know you’re gonna hate me for this…” he trailed off.

“Go on,” Louis croaked.

“I think you should hold off on telling her about your relationship,” he proposed. “We haven’t had a case like this before, and the sudden information might freak her out.”

“So I’m just supposed to pretend I’m just a damn acquaintance?” Louis snapped, his brown eyes flaring.

“Aasim’s right, Louis,” Ruby chimed. “How would you feel if someone came up to you and told you that you love them? No previous warning,” she explained.

“How can I be okay with this?” Louis’s voice rose, his usually jovial tone gone. “We’ve been going out for five years now!” he exclaimed and was cut off by Clementine’s voice behind him.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, making all eyes turn to her and the boy beside her. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Louis sat back down, his anger still boiling inside him. “It’s alright, Clem,” Violet said, offering the girl a sad smile.

Clementine eyed Louis curiously, her brows rising slightly when she noticed his heavy breathing. Louis noticed she’d put her hat back on, and AJ wore a concerned expression on his face. She stepped forward, sitting down on the bench beside Louis, AJ sitting next to her. They all eyed her warily, making her blush slightly.

“AJ here tells me we’ve been here for a while,” she began, leaning on the table. The group looked at each other, exchanged looks of sadness and concern.

“Where do we begin?” asked Aasim, clapping his hands.

An hour later, Omar set down the bowls of soup in front of everyone as they spoke. The group had been telling Clementine about her time there, sneakily avoiding her relationship with Louis. The dreaded man hadn’t said a word, crossing his arms and staring blankly at the cracks in the table.

“I still can’t believe I’m 21,” Clementine commented, earning chuckles from the rest.

“Yeah, your birthday is a week from now, actually,” Louis put in; the first words he’d spoken in over an hour.

“How do you know?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow. Before he could answer, Aasim cut him off.

“Louis and I take a tally of the days that have passed since the outbreak,” he explained. “Today is October 19th.

Clementine nodded and looked down at her meal. Steam rose from the brown surface of the broth, small chunks of meat floating on it. _Looks delicious,_ she thought. She took a spoon and slowly brought it up to her mouth. As soon as the taste reached her throat, her eyes widened and something inside her mind clicked.

“Omar, this is amazing!” she exclaimed, looking up at him. She blinked a couple times as if seeing the man for the first time. “I remember you now!” she announced, beaming at him.

He perked up, smiling at the woman with pride. “I’m glad you liked it this time, Clem.”

“This time?”

“Yeah, last week you said it gave you nausea,” he teased, a grin on his face.

In the wake of her sudden realization, the chatter around the table turned jovial. Even Louis reveled in his girlfriend’s progress. They shared a few fleeting glances, words unspoken transmitted through his brown eyes. As the night grew darker, the group scattered to their respective bedrooms. Soon enough, it was only Louis, Clem and AJ left at the table.

The man smiled at her, his hands behind his back. “What a night, huh?” he said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, you could say that,” she replied, rubbing her left arm. _What was it about him that made her nervous?_ she thought ruefully, looking down at her feet.

“Well, it’s a bit late,” he commented, looking up at the clear night sky. Stars and constellations were already visible in the black void of space, illuminating the sky with a beauty Clem could not explain. “I’ll escort you back to ou – uh, your room,” he caught himself, offering her a slight grin.

Though confused, Clementine accepted his proposition, and together with AJ, they walked into the dorms, turning left as they entered the building. Louis and AJ made small talk as they approached their room, leaving Clem to her thoughts. Even though she remembered AJ and Omar, she felt more alone than ever. And that wasn’t taking into account the weird feeling Louis made her feel when they found each other’s eyes…

When they got to her dorm, Clem walked in, taking in her surroundings. She remembered having collected animal skulls over the years, their bony remains staring at them from the shelves to her left. AJ stood idly at the door, looking back at Louis.

“What is it, AJ?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Isn’t Louis coming in?” the boy inquired, frowning.

“Why would he –,” she began before she was cut off by Louis.

“He’s just kidding,” he chuckled, ruffling AJ’s hair. “Can you give us a minute?”

“Sure?” Clem shrugged, nodding at the boys. “Come straight back, alright kiddo?”

“Yeah, Clem,” the boy rolled his eyes, following Louis out of the room and closing the door behind them.

Louis kneeled in front of him, sighing. He searched for words, thinking about the best way to let him know their new situation. “Listen, buddy.”

“What was that about?” AJ demanded, squinting.

“Well, I’m gonna have to sleep in my old room until Clem fully recovers, alright?”

“But why?”

“Aasim seems to think it will be better for her if I don’t tell her we’re together. Too much sudden information might not be good for her.”

“Can I – Can I sleep in your room tomorrow, then?” the boy asked innocently.

Louis chuckled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Anytime, little dude.” AJ hugged the man tightly and walked into their room, sparing a glance for Louis. Sighing, Louis turned around and walked back toward his old room. The room he hadn’t used in four years…

As days passed, Clem’s memory slowly returned in bits and pieces. After two days, she could happily remember Ruby, Aasim and Willy. On the third day, Violet greeted her with an assignment. She had been playing cards with AJ, and the blonde approached them with a smile.

“How are you guys doing?” she said, sitting across from AJ.

Clem eyed her warily but smiled nonetheless. She was one of the few she could still not place, but the other woman’s attitude suggested they went way back, so she wanted to make an effort to trust her.

“We’re doing fine, Vi,” AJ answered for them, grinning at the woman.

“That’s great,” Violet quipped, nodding. “Hey, Clem?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind helping me with the fishing today?” she asked, tilting her head. “Ruby’s not feeling great.”

Clem looked down at AJ for a moment, considering. The boy smiled at her, and she smiled back. “Sure, why not,” she agreed, her eyes darting toward Louis, who was practicing his archery on the target by the cellar. She didn’t know why, but she had a gnawing feeling that he was hiding more than he was letting on.

Ever since her accident, he had been a courteous gentleman; walking her to and from her room, giving her little trinkets for her collection and just being an overall presence around her. It was comforting, she decided, to have someone care so much about her. It didn’t stop her from wondering why he was so adamant in going out of his way to being nice to her. _Are we best friends or something?_ she thought curiously, raising an eyebrow.

“Wanna get going?” Violet’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Yeah, sure,” Clem said absently, shaking her head and standing up with Violet. She followed the blonde through the courtyard, nodding at AJ over her shoulder. As they walked out, she locked eyes with Louis. He offered her a sad smile, casting his eyes downwards.

The walk toward the fishing hut was one Violet had taken a thousand times. She followed the trail they’d formed over the years, Clementine close behind her. Dead leaves crunched under their feet, fallen tree trunks littering the way ahead. Violet’s ears perked up when she heard Clementine humming a song.

It wasn’t just any song, however. With a jolt, Violet realized it was the song Louis had composed for her five years ago. She knew it because every year on Clementine’s birthday, he would play it for her.

“What are you humming back there?” she asked innocently, falling back to walk beside the amber-eyed girl.

Clementine shrugged, “Don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s the sort of song that gets stuck in your head.”

“That so?” Violet muttered.

“Yeah,” Clem confirmed, frowning. “I really wanna remember, because it sounds beautiful in my head.”

Violet chuckled and nodded pensively. “Maybe it will come back with the rest of your memories,” she suggested.

“Hope so.”

The rest of the walk was silent, punctured only by Clementine’s humming. They got to the hut, and Violet grabbed two spears for them. The blonde attempted to start small talk, mostly bringing up previous conversations they’d had. Ruby had said that certain topics may trigger her memory of Violet. _So far, nothing._

Too distracted to focus on the task at hand, Violet missed the third fish in a row. The water splashed onto her boots, soaking her feet. Throwing her spear across the stream, Violet huffed and groaned. “God fucking damn it!” she exclaimed.

As Clementine looked at Violet’s hunched figure, her eyes widened and she recoiled. She blinked a few times and found her voice, barely above a whisper. “Violet.”

“What?” the blonde snapped, looking back at the amber-eyed girl.

“I – I remember…” she trailed off, tears welling in her eyes.

“You do?”

Violet was cut off as Clementine launched herself at her, embracing her tightly. They stayed silent, putting all their unspoken feelings into the hug. When they broke apart, even Violet had tears in her eyes. _Now that’s a new one,_ Clem thought with a smile.

“6 down, 2 to go,” she announced happily, pulling Clementine in for another hug.

Later that day, Clem sat at the dinner table with the rest of the school. Louis sat in front of her, very clearly avoiding her gaze. The sun started touching the horizon, painting the sky in a soft orange hue. They could hear birds chirping from the trees outside, the fire sizzling by the tables. Omar brought them that night’s dinner: trout with brown rice.

“Looks delicious,” Clem told him.

“Bon appétit,” he announced, taking a serving himself and sitting beside Willy.

Louis didn’t touch his food much, instead choosing to watch Clem eat and chat with the people she remembered, all too aware that he wasn’t one of them. Clementine noticed his staring, and every time they met each other’s eyes, she would blush. At that point, she was sure Louis was hiding something from her.

They finished their meal, thanking Omar once more, and drifted into casual conversation. Clem was talking to Violet, happy that she could finally remember her best friend. Something was missing, however. She didn’t know what, but there was a hole in her heart that yearned to be filled. She just wished she knew what it had to be filled by…

Her thoughts were broken when AJ poked her shoulder from behind, making her turn. In his hands was a drawing of Clementine fighting off a walker, her knife plunging into its skull. The details were astounding, she thought.

“Wow, that’s great, kiddo,” she complimented. “Did you draw that?”

“Nah,” he said, grinning. “Tenn drew it this afternoon while you were with Vi. He asked me to bring it to you. He wasn’t feeling so well, I believe.”

She took the drawing in her hands, examining the details on it. Her amber eyes burned in passion, staring directly at the walker in her clutch. Her drawing counterpart wore her usual denim jacket over a shirt that said Ericson’s. As she inspected it, she blinked a couple of times and then looked at AJ, her eyes wide.

“What is it?” he asked her, concern filling his features.

“I remember Tenn now!” she exclaimed, cheers erupting from the remaining people at the table. As AJ embraced her, Violet and Louis shared a glance from the other side of the table. She leaned in, frowning.

“Now it’s just you, Lou,” she whispered sadly.

“I know.”

“What are you gonna do?” she asked him, eyeing Clementine from the corner of her eye. The golden-eyed girl was chatting absently with AJ, unaware of Louis’s struggle behind her.

The man lifted his gaze to his girlfriend, closing his eyes dejectedly. Looking back at his best friend, he nodded. “What I do best,” he said, smiling despite himself. “I’m gonna make her fall in love with me all over again.”


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined to get back in Clementine’s damaged memory, Louis puts together a plan to make her fall in love with him.

“So, how do you like staying here?”

Louis shook his head, cursing under his breath. He sat on his bed, looking down at his hands, thinking of ways to approach his problem with Clementine. He’d been at it for four days now. He looked up, searching for inspiration in the décor inside his room. Old rock posters hung loosely around the walls, their edges fading after years of decay.

How could he act like he didn’t know every single detail of her life? How could he pretend that he didn’t want to hug her every chance he got? He closed his eyes, lying back on his pillow-covered bed. He rubbed his eyes, thinking back to the meaningful interactions he and Clem had shared over the years.

There was the first time they’d shared their feelings for each other right before the raider attack, five years ago. The first time she had said she loved him. It had been after she saved him from a walker that almost took a chunk out of him. “I can’t lose you, I love you too much,” she’d told him, tears in her eyes. The first time AJ had referred to them as his parents. The first time they’d…

He sat up, rubbing his eyes and blinking rapidly. On his bedside table was his stack of cards. Sighing, he took it in his hands and absently started shuffling it. The fire of the candles on the table flickered as a gust of wind blew through the window, casting odd shadows on his face.

Louis took a card from the deck, inspecting it closely. It was the king of hearts. Stuffing it in the pack again, he began shuffling them with his eyes closed. The door of his room flew open suddenly, and he jumped, throwing his cards in the air and turning to the blonde at the door. Violet raised an eyebrow at him and stepped forward.

“I was gonna check to see if you could go out and reset the traps,” she began, eyeing the cards strewn across the floor. “But I see you’re busy.”

Louis stood up abruptly, hitting his head with the top bed and groaning in pain. Violet snickered, and he glared. “Yeah, I’m free,” he assured her, nodding.

“Good, because you’re leaving in ten minutes with Clem.”

“Wh – What?” he stuttered.

“I figured some time alone is what you guys needed.”

Frowning, Louis leaned against the desk beside his bed. “Have you forgotten about a little detail?” he asked. “She’s not that comfortable being around the only guy she doesn’t recognize alone.”

“Then make her comfortable, dumbass,” she suggested, crossing her arms. “You’ve been together five years, and she was pretty comfortable with you before the accident.”

“I don’t have five more years, Vi,” he snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“She’ll remember you in no time, don’t worry,” she assured him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I sure hope so,” he muttered, the hand inside his trench coat fingering the side of a tiny box.

“She’s already waiting for you at the door if you wanna leave now,” she informed him.

“Yeah, alright.”

He made his way through the hallway, nodding as Tenn passed him. Outside, the sun was still half hidden behind the tree line, casting long shadows on the courtyard. Aasim and AJ were sitting at one of the tables, a biology book in between them. Clementine had recently requested he teach AJ basic knowledge he would have learned in school. This week, they were studying the human body.

Clem stood by the gate, very interested in her shoelaces for some reason. He made his way to her, grabbing ‘Chairles’ off the weapons table by the cellar. With the best smile he could muster, he said, “Hey, looks like we’re on trap duty together.”

“Seems that way,” she muttered, not meeting his eyes.

Louis frowned, opened the gate for her and walked out behind her. The walk toward the hunting grounds was mostly silent, punctured only by Louis’s odd comments on the weather. He couldn’t help but spare fleeting glances at the woman beside her, his heart fluttering every time their eyes met. After all these years, she still had that effect on him.

The wind picked up from the south, making Clementine shiver slightly. Pursing his lips, Louis shrugged out of his coat and held it out to her. “Here, take this.”

“Won’t you be cold?”

“I’ll be okay,” he assured her, offering her a confident smile.

 _Turned out she was right._ Barely ten minutes later he was already fighting the urge to wrap his arms around himself. He took solace in the fact that Clem seemed content with wearing his coat which, due to her stature, almost scraped the ground as she walked. When they got to the clearing, they inspected the surroundings.

On one side, the rabbit traps had all been sprung. The pair walked toward the animals, counting their catch.

“Five rabbits, one of them a baby,” Louis announced, approaching the smallest one.

“Let’s hope Violet and Ruby have more luck with the fish,” she commented, snapping the neck of one of the adult ones. Louis stood beside the hanging rabbit, pursing his lips. “What is it?” she asked him.

He looked up at her and grinned. “Would you mind?”

“Really?” she chuckled, stepping forward and doing the task for him. “Didn’t peg you for a softie,” she teased.

“Maybe I’m just letting you take all the credit,” he suggested, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

She finished the job, handing Louis two of the rabbits and hanging the others to her belt. Turning around, she bound off to one of the perimeter traps, which seemed to have been sprung with no catch. Louis stared at her back, wondering just how he was going to make her remember him. When he turned a corner, he chuckled at the sight.

A walker hung upside down from a rope tied to a tree. Its jaw had been cut off, soft growls escaping it when it saw him. Its arms stretched in his direction, rotten fingers attempting to grab at his shirt. Snorting, Louis used his chair leg to poke it, making it swing softly.

“Hey, check this out!” he called to her, looking back at the walker. She came rushing his way, her knife unsheathed. When she spotted the hanging walker, she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Really?”

“Wanna have some batting practice?” he offered, gripping ‘Chairles’ like a bat. “We haven’t done this is so long.”

“Well, I don’t remember the last time…” she trailed off, looking down and scratching the back of her head. He noticed she had started doing this a couple years ago, his own habit rubbing off on her. _Maybe not all was lost?_

“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” he encouraged, handing her the chair leg. Rolling her eyes, she took it and prepared to bat.

Putting all her weight into her rotation, she swung the chair leg into the walker’s face. A crunching sound announced its nose breaking, and Louis cheered. He inspected the walker as though it was his job and turned to Clem.

“If the Olympics were still a thing, you’d definitely get a silver,” he announced proudly. Apparently, it wasn’t enough for Clementine, who snorted.

“A silver, huh?” she teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, you never know,” he said, shifting his weight to his right leg. “That could have been a lucky shot.”

Clementine shook her head, her grin becoming more prominent as time wore on. Louis noticed her stance was much less rigid around him now. As she swung the makeshift bat again, she even cast a side glance at him and winked. As the wood made contact with the walker’s head, its eye flying off and landing with a soft squishing sound. Louis grimaced but laughed nonetheless.

“Alright, I’m convinced. That was a solid gold,” he announced, softly clapping for her. Following his lead, she bowed dramatically and thanked him.

“I know, I rule,” she grinned, turning back to the walker, which was still groaning and moaning.

“Okay, you gotta make this one count,” he told her, stepping back to give her space.

Gripping the handle tightly, Clem plunged the wooden bat into the walker’s skull. They heard its neck snap, and the corpse became still. Louis crossed his arms, nodding in approval.

“Homerun indeed,” he muttered, earning a genuine smile from Clementine. “Don’t you feel a little better now?”

Clem scratched her chin dramatically, pretending to think about his question. “Maybe it helped a little bit,” she conceded, flashing a grin in his direction and bounding off toward the trail.

-

That night, after their rabbit stew dinner was completed Louis stood up, offering his arm to Clementine. Everyone looked on as he bowed deeply.

“I will escort you to your room, my lady,” he announced, much to her embarrassment. She looked back to AJ, who was sitting beside Tenn.

“I’ll stay up a little while longer,” he told her, nodding. “It’s my turn in the night shift.”

Smiling at the boy, Clem reluctantly took Louis’s arm, and together they walked toward what was usually their room. They silently traipsed the hallway, enjoying each other’s company. As they got to the door, Louis unhooked his arm from hers and bowed dramatically, making her smile.

He turned around, beginning the journey back, but stopped when he heard her voice. “Hey, Louis?”

“Yeah?” he said, turning around.

“Would you mind… staying with me for a while?” she requested, rubbing her left arm. Raising his eyebrows, Louis grinned at her.

“Well, of course,” he exclaimed, opening the door and stepping to the side to let her pass. They entered the room and closed the door behind them. Clementine sat on the left bed, a bunch of pillows set up at its headboard. Louis sat down by the foot of the bed, stretching his arms.

“Do you have any idea where these pillows came from?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow. “AJ won’t tell me.”

“Oh, that?” he said, chuckling. Those were his, of course. But he couldn’t tell her that. “They’re yours.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re a real pillow hog,” he lied, nodding.

“Who would’ve known?” she muttered, setting her head on one of the bigger pillows.

Standing up, Louis lit the candles and turned to her. He stuck his hand inside his coat, fumbling for something. With a grin, he produced a deck of cards and waved it in the air. “How would you like a game of War?”

“War?” she asked, eyeing the cards as he sat down beside her. “How do you play?”

“Oh, right,” he said, casting his eyes toward his hands. “Basically, both of us flip our decks and whoever gets the higher card gets to ask the other a question. You can use this opportunity to learn more about me.”

“I guess that could be fun,” she said, taking half the deck and placing it on the bed in front of her. They each flipped the top card. Clementine’s king of spades trumped Louis’s five of diamonds and she smiled. “I win.”

“You do, indeed. Now ask away.”

Thinking hard, Clementine frowned, looking at her card. “What are we?” she asked him, startling the man.

“Pardon?”

“What exactly are we?” she repeated, looking into his chocolate brown eyes. “You don’t act like we’re just friends, so what is it?”

Pursing his lips, Louis thought about his answer. Fighting back the urge to tell her the truth, he said, “We’re the best of friends.”

She nodded, a sad smile on her face. They flipped the cards once more, Louis getting the upper hand this time.

“Hmm, here’s one I’ve always wanted to know,” he began, a devious grin on his face. “Anything ever happened with that guy Gabe?” he asked finally, making Clementine blush.

“Have I really told you about Gabe?”

“Only that he had a huge crush on you, and that you had a little something for him,” he explained, shrugging.

Her eyes halved as she looked at him, and she sighed. “Nothing ever happened. I left to find AJ one day, and never returned to Richmond.”

Of course, he knew that, but hearing it yet again didn’t hurt. She dismissed the smile that formed on his face, and they continued the game. After a few rounds, Louis began to feel confident about his plan. One round, when Clementine got an ace of hearts, she asked a question that had been on her mind since the beginning of the game.

“Did we ever fight?”

“All the time,” he declared, chuckling. “But we always made up, don’t worry.”

“I’m glad,” she confessed, her amber eyes finding his brown ones. At that moment, his heart fluttered, and he had to stop the urge to kiss her. It had been a week since they’d kissed…

They flipped the cards once more, and Louis already had his question prepared when his Queen of diamonds trumped Clem’s two of spades.

“Ever seen a magic trick?”

Raising an eyebrow, Clem replied, “Well, my mom hired a magician for my seventh birthday.”

“You’re supposed to say ‘no’,” he told her, taking the entire stack in his hands and shuffling them. Clementine chuckled and shook her head.

“Alright, no, I haven’t.”

“Well, prepared to be amazed!” he announced, fanning out the cards in front of her. “Pick one.”

She did as he said, taking one from the bunch and pressing it to her chest. After she had memorized the card like he commanded, Clem placed it back in the deck. She watched Louis shuffle the cards, every now and then flicking the edge of one of them so it would fly into the air. The discarded ones landed on the bed beside him, but she never took her eyes off him.

There was a certain air about him that drew her to him, but she couldn’t quite place it. She guessed it was probably the fact that they were best friends, and dismissed the thought. His hands deftly shuffled the cards in a fashion that she could not keep up with.

“Ready?” he said finally, the stack in his hands already having diminished to about twenty cards.

“Yeah,” she breathed, watching in awe as he flicked one final card into the air. Instead of landing on the bed, however, Louis caught it in his mouth. Already impressed by the feat, Clementine started clapping but was stopped when Louis raised a hand. Taking the card from his mouth, he grinned.

“Is this your card?” he asked, showing the face of the card to her. It was the king of hearts.

“Oh my god, how did you do that?” she exclaimed, taking the card from his hands and searching it for foul play. He took the card and smiled at her.

“A magician never reveals his secrets, my lady,” he told her, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, that was impressive.”

“Your praise is appreciated,” he said, nodding. Clementine couldn’t help but giggle, smiling up at the man sitting across from her. Louis smiled back, reveling in the beautiful sound of her laughter. _He really enjoyed that sound._ As a gust of wind blew out the candles on the dresser, Louis had an idea. Snapping his fingers, he stood up and took Clementine’s hand. “Follow me,” he said simply.

Too surprised by his sudden adrenaline rush, Clem decided to go with it and ran behind him. He wandered through the hallway, going left when they were met with the door to the outside and running up a flight of stairs. They climbed two stories until they reached a big metal door. With some effort, Louis pushed it open, grabbing a pipe that rested on a windowsill. He used the pipe to jam the door open and lead Clementine outside.

Clementine looked around and almost gasped when she realized where they were. Louis had led her up to the roof, where thousands of bright stars shone from above. The moon shone brightest of all like a giant eye in the sky, watching them as Louis walked over to a pair of lawn chairs someone had set up long ago.

They sat down, the chairs creaking under their weight. Louis assured her that they wouldn’t break, claiming he’d been up there a million times. She looked up at the sky, trying to make out constellations among the cosmos. As she did, she heard Louis sigh beside her. She lowered her gaze and saw Louis’s hunched shoulders.

“What is it?” she asked, her eyes fixed on his features. He looked tired, though she knew he was more rested than her. Something was troubling him…

“You know why I brought you up here, Clem?” he asked slowly, suddenly taking an interest to his shoelaces.

Clementine thought about it for a moment, coming up with no answers to his cryptic question. She shook her head, and he sighed again.

“This is our secret spot,” he told her, looking up at the sky with a wistful expression. “We come up here all the time.”

“We do?”

“Yeah, and it’s always had a certain magic about it, don’t you think?”

“It is beautiful out here,” she admitted, following his gaze.

“It is,” he muttered, taking a deep breath. “Clem, I need to tell you something.”

“What’s up?”

“I – I have feelings for you,” he said simply, closing his eyes.

“You – You what?” she asked, blinking rapidly.

“I have feelings for you,” he repeated, looking up at her now.

“I thought you had a girlfriend,” she told him, confused. “You said you’d been together five years!”

“Yeah, and recently she left me,” he lied, his eyes misting over. “I have no idea if she’ll ever return, and I had to tell you how I’ve been feeling.”

Speechless, Clementine leaned back on her chair. Her eyes darted from the man hunched on the opposite side to the sky above, the stars still illuminating their world.

“I’ve always believed in being honest, you know?” he began, his voice almost cracking under the pressure. “Because there’s only one guarantee: this moment.”

Clementine looked at him as he spoke, his muscles getting tense and his eyes filling with tears. She had a sudden urge to go to him and embrace him but held back when his deep voice filled the air again.

“That’s the only thing you got, only thing any of us got,” he continued. As he said the words, Clementine’s eyes widened and she looked down at the man, tears threatening to fill her eyes as well.

“Might as well enjoy it,” she finished, her voice higher than usual. Louis’s head perked up, his brown eyes searching her features.

“Clem?” he asked uncertainly.

“Louis!” she exclaimed, launching herself at her boyfriend. The memories came back to her: all the stupid fights, all the beautiful gifts. Tears streamed down her face as she hung to him for dear life.

“Are you saying you remember?” he hesitated, a hopeful glint in his brown eyes.

“Yeah, I remember, doofus.”

Without another word, Louis pressed his lips against hers in a hungry embrace. Clementine leaned into him, the void in her heart finally full as the knowledge of her boyfriend’s memory filled her mind. A thought crossed her mind, and she pulled away.

“Wait,” she said, frowning. “Why have you been pretending that we’re nothing more than friends?”

“Well, Aasim said that if I told you about us, it might be too much for you to handle,” he explained, fidgeting with the hem of his coat.

Fresh tears filled Clementine’s eyes as the realization hit her. “So,” she began softly, willing her voice not to crack. “You pretended you didn’t love me for a whole week just so I’d have more of a chance to recover? Even though you were the only one I couldn’t seem to remember?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“How could you take it?” she asked him, looking down. “I don’t know what I’d do without you for a week.”

Smiling, Louis planted another kiss on her lips. “Because,” he told her, grinning. “I love you to death and back.”


End file.
